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the
THE LAST WORD
marrying, and no child before age 20. Only
8 percent of families who conform to all
three rules are poor; 79 percent of those
A GI BILL
who do not conform are poor.
In recent decades there has been some
pertinent social learning. We have learned
that the trajectory of a child's life is largely
FOR MOTHERS
determined in the earliest years. "The
human personality emerges early; if it is
to be shaped," Wilson says, "it must be
shaped early." The best predictor of a
child's flourishing is the fervent devotion
At last, an idea to pour programmatic content
of two parents. Wilson warns that if the
work requirements of the 1996 welfare
into the often hollow phrase 'family values'
reform are implemented, young mothers
will be told to spend much of each week
away from their children who, "already
fatherless, will now not even be raised
BY GEORGE F. WILL
by their mothers."
Wilson's ameliorative ideas for Ameri-
LTHOUGH HIS CULTURED DESPISERS ARE LOATH TO
can families include making adoption easi-
A
admit it, and he was probably ambivalent about it,
er in order to minimize foster care. ("The
Richard Nixon skimmed more cream off the American
average foster child lives with three differ-
professoriate than most presidents have done, pack-
ent families, and ten or more placements
ing his administration with, among others, Henry
are not rare.") Another idea is to require
Kissinger and Pat Moynihan (Harvard), James Schlesinger
unmarried teenage mothers to live with
(University of Virginia), George Shultz (University of Chicago) and
their babies in a home supervised by expe-
Arthur Burns (Columbia). Yet Moynihan, Nixon's urban affairs
rienced mothers. A third idea is this: giv-
adviser, insistently, and for a long time unsuccessfully, urged
en that religiosity and decency are corre-
Nixon to consult with another professor, then at Harvard. Finally
lated, and given that it is a reasonable
Moynihan prevailed by exclaiming, "Mr. President, James Q.
surmise that the former causes the latter,
Wilson is the smartest man in the United States. The president of
and given the remarkable success of a religious-based program
the United States should pay attention to what he has to say."
like Alcoholics Anonymous, and given the evidence that religious
Since then, many officials, from mayors through presidents,
programs in prisons reduce recidivism-given all this, large cities
have done so, and recently the large Washington audience at the
should have "the religious equivalent of the United Fund" to de-
American Enterprise Institute's annual Francis Boyer Lecture did
liver services for the underclass through churches.
so. Wilson, who has recently retired from UCLA, gave Washing-
However, the most intriguing idea suggested by Wilson, which
ton, a proudly practical city, a demonstration of the unity of theory
he credits to Richard and Grandon Gill, pertains to parents out-
and practice. He offered a theory about why America is materially
side as well as inside the underclass. It would offer the equiva-
better off but spiritually worse off than it was not long ago. And he
lent of the GI Bill for a parent-usually a mother-who will
suggested programmatic responses, one of which has the potential
postpone a career until children reach school age.
to make "family values" a matter for practical rather than merely
No parent, Wilson says, can "have it all," and in the clash
rhetorical treatment by the political class.
between family and work, the former must be favored. "If we care
Wilson's worry, and much of the nation's, is that America is being
about how children are raised in their early years, and if, as is now
poisoned by a subculture that is both cause and consequence of
the case, how they are raised is left to overwhelmed women or
many children's being born to unwed girls, raised in neighborhoods
institutional arrangements, the only way we can restore the
where there are more male sexual predators than committed fa-
balance is by committing money to the task of inducing actions
thers, and who matriculate, as it were, into gang life for protection
that were once the products of spontaneous arrangements."
and self-advancement. It is a subculture "armed to the teeth, excit-
Hence a GI Bill-style educational entitlement that would enable a
ed by drugs, preoccupied with respect, and indifferent to the future.
parent who stays home with a young child to finish school, attend
Its children crowd our schools and fill our streets, armed and dan-
college or graduate school, or take technical training courses after
gerous." It is dominated by "young, marginally employed, sexually
the child's most formative years.
adventuresome, socially aggressive young men who reject the idea
The original GI Bill's benefits were entitlements of a sterner
of hard work and social conformity that made their elders success-
sort than we have become used to. They were linked to services
ful." As "bastardy has become more common, children more crimi-
rendered-services of the most serious sort, involving war. A new
nal, and marriages less secure," policymakers have tried this and
version of that entitlement would compensate a parent who
that. "Much has happened but little has changed."
forgoes earnings in order to render the vital social function of
However, Wilson does note one change: more than half the
putting children on the path to social competence.
public, and 70 percent of Americans under 35, think no shame
Politics has come to seem demoralizingly disconnected from
should attach to having children out of wedlock. That fact is
practicality because leaders have been unable to connect their
surely related to this one: social pathologies have multiplied
rhetoric with programs. They have failed to find ways for
during a burst of wealth-creation without precedent in world
government to get a grip on the nation's principal problem-the
history. America's poverty problem is not one of material
coarsening of the culture that is produced by the brew of toxic
scarcities but of abundant bad behavior. Wilson, seconding
behaviors associated with family decomposition. With reference
William Galston, says there are three simple behavioral rules for
to "family values," Wilson and the social scientists he cites are
avoiding poverty: finish high school, produce no child before
pointing to a way for the political class to reacquire relevance.
88
NEWSWEEK DECEMBER 22, 1997
10/21/97 TUE 09:13 FAX 301 402 1104
OD/NICHD
$
001
<den
National Institute
-
Melanne
of Child Health and
Human Development
- HRC
Pir
DATE: October 21, 1997
Duane Alexander, M.D.
TELEPHONE: 301/496-3454
Director, NICHD, NIH
Building 31, Room 2A03
FAX: 301/402-1104
31 Center Drive, MSC 2425
Bethesda, MD 20892-2425
TO: Ms. Nicole Rabner
FAX NUMBER: 202/456-9412
MESSAGE:
Nicole - Here is a response to the Greenspan article for the First Lady to use. A slightly
modified version will be sent to the Post today signed by the Chair of the Steering Committee for
the Child Care Study, on behalf of all the investigators, with a request that it be published
Wednesday or Thursday. Hope this helps-please call with suggestions or comments.
Scane
Duane
A total of 4 pages, including this cover sheet were transmitted.
If you did not receive all pages, please call Connie Hamilton @ 301-496-3454.
10/21/97 TUE 09:13 FAX 301 402 1104
OD/NICHD
002
Dr. Stanley Greenspan's article in the Outlook section of the Washington Post (October 19)
refers to the Study of Early Child Care supported by the National Institute of Child Health and
Human Development (NICHD). Unfortunately, in buttressing his arguments, data from the study
are cited or interpreted incorrectly or incompletely, providing a misleading picture. In the
national discussions and debates taking place over child care, it is important that the information
provided by this major study be reported correctly and understood clearly.
The study was designed to assess the effects of child care experiences on the development of
children born in the early 1990s. Child care experiences under investigation include age of entry
into child care, weekly hours of care, stability of care and quality of care. About 1200 urban and
rural families from across the United States and from a wide range of socio-economic
backgrounds were enrolled following the birth of their babies. Information has been collected
about family characteristics, child care characteristics, and patterns of child development
evidenced by social, emotional, cognitive, language and health outcomes.
Contrary to the statement by Dr. Greenspan, the NICHD study did not find that 80% of center
care is inadequate or that for infants, out-of-home care is inferior to parental care. The NICHD
study developed measures of quality to assess the programs its children attended, but made no
attempt to assess what proportion of child care nationally might be "inadequate." The study also
concluded that for most outcomes studied, infants in out-of-home care functioned as well as, and
in some cases better than, those in maternal care at home.
Dr. Greenspan's description of the NICHD study results with regard to infant-mother attachment
10/21/97 TUE 09:14 FAX 301 402 1104
OD/NICHD
003
is also incorrect. He writes that "babies in relatively full time day care have compromised
attachments unless their parents were especially sensitive to their needs and adept at reading their
emotional signals in the evening." In fact, the study showed that characteristics of the child care
experience, including age of entry into care, amount of care, stability of care, or quality of care
did not, in and of themselves, affect the infants' security of attachment to their mothers. The
strongest predictors of infant attachment security were their mothers' sensitivity/responsiveness
toward their children and the mothers' psychological adjustment. Infants were less likely to be
secure when low maternal sensitivity/responsiveness was combined with either poor quality child
care, or more than minimal amounts of child care, or relatively unstable care. However, low
sensitivity/responsiveness was defined in relative terms, not the absolute terms implied by
Dr. Greenspan, and only the infants of mothers in the lowest 25% of the continuum of observed
sensitivity/responsiveness were at higher risk for insecure attachment.
Dr. Greenspan claims that even good child care centers are failing to provide children with
adequate linguistic stimulation. Based on assessments at 15, 24, and 36 months of age, the
NICHD study reported in April that the cognitive and language development of children who are
in child care is not compromised relative to children in exclusive maternal care, and that the
higher the quality of care, the better the developmental outcomes of children who are in child
care. When quality of care provided was equivalent, center care predicted better outcomes than
other forms of care.
We believe that the public debate about non-parental child care as compared to exclusive
maternal care and about the effects of variations in child care experiences on the well being of
10/21/97 TUE 09:14 FAX 301 402 1104
OD/NICHD
004
children is timely and important. We wish the debate to be well informed by the results from the
NICHD Study of Early Child Care that is characterized not only by its breadth and depth but also
by the fact that it was designed and is still carried out by some thirty investigators who specialize
in the study of variations in child care experiences and their effects on the development of
children. Given that the debate focuses on a major public health concern -- the well being of the
children of this country -- we are especially gratified by the fact that the White House
Conference will raise the consciousness of the public to the knowledge that has accumulated
about the features of child care quality and how these can be utilized in the service of children,
parents and the society as a whole.
In D.C., Targeted Tax Breaks Miss the Mark
By Martin A. Sullivan
credit. Because Congress has resorted to
as "high-risk youth." If they get hired to sell
For example, an employer can get $6,000 of tax
mechanical use of poverty rates to define
records or tend bar, their employers will walk
credits for hiring two workers in successive
urprise, D.C.! The U.S. Congress has a
these areas, the result is a patchwork quilt of tax
away with a tax credit of up to 33 percent of
six-month periods for $15,000 each. The em-
S
gift for you. It's not what you asked for.
breaks distributed in a pattern that sometimes
wages.
ployer would only get $3,000 for hiring one
It's not easy to use. But it did cost the
seems random and arbitrary.
District residents will ask: Why should a'
worker for $30,000 to fill the same slot for the
Poverty rates tell us which areas of the
restaurant on the west side of Wisconsin Ave-
entire year.
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 19, 1997
The Washington Post
government a lot of money and no
other city has it: a billion-dollar package of
District have residents most in need-which is
nue with 50 employees get $100,000 of tax
The zero-percent capital gains rate has a flaw,
tax breaks exclusively for the residents and
not necessarily the same as telling us which
credits each year while its competitor directly
too. It is an incentive for entrepreneurship, but
businesses of the nation's capital, worth
areas are in need of private-sector economic
across the street gets nothing?
if a new business expands any significant
about $400 per resident.
development. Many parts of downtown have
And, if the goal is to revitalize the district,
portion of its operations outside impoverished
The intention was admirable: to stimulate
high rates of poverty, but are among the most
why should any store in well-to-do Georgetown
areas, it no longer qualifies.
business, investment and new-home ownership
economically developed areas of the District.
get tax breaks when the small retail stores of
What was Congress thinking? Perhaps the
in the District. But before you start hiring and
These areas are already home to some of the
Brookland, a deserving middle-class neighbor-
senators who drew up this tax package behind
investing and buying condos in the District,
city's most highbrow
check with your accountant. Restrictions apply.
hood in Northeast, get noth-
closed doors last July did not realize its conse-
business establish-
The catch is that new federal income tax cuts
ing?
quences and effects. Ignorance of the law
ments and have much
Why should a large luxury
should be no excuse-especially if you wrote it.
for D.C. are "targeted"-which means most
new construction un-
folks don't get anything and a few lucky District
derway. Nevertheless,
What was
hotel two blocks east of the
businesses and individuals get a lot. Consult
White House get roughly
$2,000 each year for every Dis-
W
ill these tax breaks actually increase
employment and reduce poverty in
your map of the city, because what you get
the businesses in these
depends not only on what you do and how much
areas will become eligi-
Congress thinking?
the District? Nobody knows. Despite
trict resident it employs while a
all the statistical studies, economists simply
you make but also on where you are.
ble for the same eco-
nomic development in-
Ignorance of the
large luxury hotel two blocks
cannot say with any accuracy whether tax
For tax purposes, Congress has chopped the
north of the White House gets
incentives for local economic development actu-
District up into dozens of small zones, and then
centives as those in
law should be no
nothing?
ally work.
put each of these zones into one of three
Southeast's Anacostia
And why is the federal gov-
We do know that these new laws are compli-
categories. First, there are the zones with
and Marshall Heights
excuse-especially
ernment helping luxury hotels
cated. We do know that the short, five-year
poverty rates of 20 percent or more-collective-
in Northeast.
to tax relief while turning away
lifespan of most of these incentives greatly
ly dubbed the "D.C. enterprise zone." In these
Another problem is
if. you wrote it.
struggling businesses in King-
diminishes their potential to lure businesses
areas, all the new tax breaks apply. Second,
that many college stu-
man Park, a worthy working
into the District. We know that a lot of D.C.
there are the zones with poverty rates between
dents living on and
class neighborhood near RFK
businesses and individuals will get a windfall for
10 percent and 20 percent. In these areas, only
around university cam-
Stadium?
doing what they were going to do, anyway. And
PRESERVATION
the home-buyer credit and the zero-percent
puses are considered "poor" residents when
Besides the arbitrary geography of these
we know that a lot of others will reshuffle their
PHOTOCOPY
capital gains rate are available. Third, there are
the Census Bureau calculates poverty rates,
incentives, there are other problems with the
business in a manner that qualifies them for the
all the other areas of the District with poverty
tax break but does not do much for the overall
even though they may come from well-to-do
new tax laws for the District. Because the wage
rates below 10 percent. The only tax break
families. The result: Big portions of the high-
credit is only available on the first $15,000 paid
District economy.
available in these areas is the home-buyer
As the carelessly drawn legislation indicates,
rent districts around George Washington and
to each employee, it gives employers an incen-
Congress has engaged in a lot of wishful
Martin Sullivan, an economist at Tax
Georgetown Universities are included in the
tive to favor less-skilled over more-skilled em-
thinking in spending this billion dollars. If
Analysts, is reviewing changes in federal tax
D.C. enterprise zone. The ultimate irony under
ployees, and it encourages then to hire part-
Congress is going to throw tax breaks at the
law for the District of Columbia Tax Revision
the new law is that many well-to-do college
time rather full-time employees. It also encour-
District's problems, it should come up with
Commission.
students living in Georgetown will be classified
ages temporary over permanent employment.
ones that will do more good.
DAY CARE, From C1
intimate relationships; interactions made up of
lengthy,
k-and-forth emotional dialogues;
The Reasons
understand the best research into the effects
and long problem-solving discussions with
that different types of care have on the
gestures.
development of very young children.
The other three components of good care-
President Clinton identified this basic is-
providing stimulation appropriate to the baby's
sue at last April's White House Conference
nervous system; shared use of creative ideas;
Why We Need
on the Brain and Early Development. The
and logical use of ideas through eliciting
conference, which helped kick off a national
opinions and debates-vary significantly, de-
discussion on how best to help children's
pending on the staff and the chemistry be-
early development, attracted hundreds of
tween caregivers and the children.
To Rely Less
participants, including pediatrician T. Berry
There is some resistance to this idea. For
Brazelton, Carla Shatz, professor of neurobi-
example, the initial results of an ongoing
ology at the University of California at Berke-
day-care study conducted by the National
ley and David A. Hamburg. then president of
Institute of Child Health and Development
On Day Care
the Carnegie Corp. There was a healthy
have been interpreted by many media outlets,
consensus that early interactions between
including The Washington Post, CNN and
infants and caregivers are essential not only
popular parents' magazines as "good news for
for a healthy mind, but also for the physical
parents." In fact, the news isn't quite as upbeat
growth and wiring of the brain.
as all that. The study is finding that babies in
By Stanley I. Greenspan
When Clinton asked those of use at the
relatively full-time day care have compromised
conference what kinds of experiences are
attachments unless their parents were especial-
n Thursday, the White House will
0
most important for babies' development and
ly sensitive to their needs and adept at reading
direct its attention-and probably
how much is needed, he opened up a subject
their emotional signals in the evenings-that
much of the nation's-to a subject
that is far more politically sensitive than he
is, providing the types of experiences missing
that desperately needs attention: the
probably anticipated. That's because I-and
in the day-care centers.
state of day care for the young children of
many other researchers-have identified the
The child-care challenges we face cannot be
millions of working parents in this country.
quantity and quality of experiences that
dismissed. Current patterns of out-of-home
The White House Conference on Child
babies and young children need to develop
child care have significant limitations that
Care will focus on the quality, the affordability
optimally. There are six stages that families
endanger the growing minds of future genera-
and the supply of child care, among other
with children who are emotionally and intel-
tions. An entirely new set of guiding assump-
topics. It plans to figure out how best to help
lectually healthy provide to their children. A
tions is necessary. We need to re-evaluate the
parents identify high-quality child care and
review of these six stages makes clear why
professed value we place on children. Children
discuss how best to bring good child care to
most out-of-home child care cannot provide a
and the care of them must be elevatedato a
under-served populations, such as welfare
number of essential building blocks for a
higher priority, both within families and-soci-
mothers headed to work.
child's healthy mind and brain. Briefly, chil-
ety. This will be unrealistic for parents who, no
These are important questions, of course.
dren need:
matter how much they want to stay home, have
But in the rush to improve and increase child
An ongoing, loving and intimate relationship
no choice but to work. So we need to gradually
care, we are ignoring a more fundamental
(lasting years, not months) with one or a few
bring about social arrangements which maxi-
reality: Much of the child care available for
caregivers in order to develop caring, empathy,
mize at home care of young infants by their
infants and toddlers in this country simply
trust and relating.
parents.
isn't good for them.
Sights, sounds, touches and other sensations
This isn't the parents' fault and, in many
tailored to the baby's unique nervous system in
order to foster learning, language, awareness,
I
believe many two-parent working families
respects, it's not the child-care providers'
would do well to consider the "4/3_Solu-
fault, either. A growing body of recent re-
attention and self-control.
tion," or some variation of it. Under this plan
search indicates that most of our children are
Interactions made up of long sequences of
each parent works two-thirds time to pursue
cared for in child-care centers and in (other
back-and-forth smiles, smirks, sounds, reach-
career goals and together they provide 4/3 of a
out-of-home day-care arrangements that have
ing and the like. This "emotional dialogue"
single income. Thus, one-third of each parent's
significant limitations. Recent studies by the
between adults and babies fosters the begin-
time is left for direct baby and child.care.
University of Colorado, the Families and Work
nings of a sense of self, logical communications
Obviously, some families will elect other part-
Institute of New York, and the National Insti-
and the beginnings of purposefulness.
time arrangements. This will mean a signifi-
tute of Child Health and Development, for
Discussions without words-long negotia-
cant pay cut, which clearly not all families can
example, have concluded that more than 80
afford. But if those who do will make child care
tions with gestures to solve problems (such as
percent of day care in child-care centers is
when a toddler takes a caregiver to the fridge to
the significant part of their lives that it deserves
inadequate and that, for infants, out-of-home
to be.
get the juice) to foster early types of thinking
care, especially day-care centers, tend-to-be
and social skills.
In the short run, parents and future parents
inferior to parental care.
Shared use of creative ideas through pretend
need to more carefully plan their careers and
This negative conclusion about day care is
play between a caregiver and a child and
lifestyles so they can fit in the time and the
not motivated by the-misguided nostalgia of
creative 'negotiations of basic needs ("Juice!")
attention that children need. In the long run
the Christian Right for the days when fewer
in ordento foster language and creativity.
this solution will involve considerable govern-
women worked outside the home nor by a
Logical use of ideas through a caregiver
ment and industry support, to put it mildly.
conservative hostility to government social
eliciting a child's opinion ("I like this because
Options that will need to be considered will
programs aimed at helping children. Nor am I
") and debates in order to promote logical
include government incentives, including tax
unmindful of the economic realities that force
thinking, planning and readiness for reading
incentives for employers to provide part-time
many parents to rely on day care. But rather
and math.
work options for men and women and more
than increase our reliance on day care, we
These aren't interactions that can occur on
flextime to employees, so parents can arrange
should begin fundamentally rethinking the
more flexible work schedules.
the fly. Child-care experts suggest that during
way we organize work and child care.
Unpaid parental leave should be extended
the first two years of life, these types of
The best way to begin is to review and
from three months to six months and, whenev-
experiences need to be available one-half or
more of a baby's waking hours. Many parents
er possible, parents should be permitted to
See DAY CARE, C2, Col. 4
provide these interactions during feeding,
return to full- or part-time work schedules
Stanley Greenspan is author of "The Growth of
gradually.
bathing and diaper changes. Yes, children get
the Mind: The Endangered Origins of
To facilitate the 4/3 solution over the
fed and get their diapers changed in day care,
Intelligence,' and clinical professor of
but even at excellent centers with outstanding,
generation, our education system needs to get
psychiatry and pediatrics at George
well-trained staff, there are significant limita-
involved. Subjects like child development and
Washington University Medical School.
tions. Because day-care workers are often
family life need to become a core part of school
caring for several infants, their interactions
curriculums in order to prepare students for
with each baby tend to be brief, which means
their futures. We now have a detailed body of
the infants aren't getting the long interactive
knowledge about how children develop the
best. Kids should learn about it in school to
"dialogues" through words and gestures that
many parents provide at home.
better prepare them for parenthood.
Even in good day-care centers, we've seen
The Washington Post
F
or two-parent families and single-parent
many an eager, expectant 8-month-old baby
families where full-time work is essential
give up and stare at the wall as his caregiver.
to provide food, shelter and medical care,
stops by his crib briefly but then hurries away
we must improve the quality of child care,
OCTOBER 19, 1997
to attend to a crying rival.
including having caregivers stay with the same
Even more important, day-care workers
group of babies for three years or longer.
don't get a chance to build long relationships
Impersonal child care is but the most obvi-
with the children in their care because, at most
ous symptom of a society that is moving toward
centers, babies change caregivers each year as
more impersonal modes of communication,
they move on to the toddler room. And in
education, and health and mental health
centers where there is less training, lower
Intimate ongoing interactions between chil-
wages and high turnover, caregivers may
dren and their parents, we're learning, are
change even more frequently.
essential for the proper growth of the brain and
In short, three of the six essential building
mind. These types of interactions also makes
blocks are compromised due to the very
for reflective citizens as well as a sense of
structure of center-based day care: ongoing,
cohesion that makes societies work.
PHOTOCOPY
PRESERVATION
Record Type:
Record
To:
Elena Kagan/OPD/EOP, Jennifer L. Klein/OPD/EOP, Nicole R. Rabner/WHO/EOP
CC:
Subject: HOUSE SAYS STAY-AT-HOME MOMS NEEDS CHILD CARE HELP, TOO
fyi --
Forwarded by Neera Tanden/WHO/EOP on 02/11/98 07:53 PM
Russell W. Horwitz
02/11/98 07:49:25 PM
Record Type: Record
To:
Neera Tanden/WHO/EOP
CC:
Subject: HOUSE SAYS STAY-AT-HOME MOMS NEEDS CHILD CARE HELP, TOO
Forwarded by Russell W. Horwitz/OPD/EOP on 02/11/98 07:49 PM
SIEWERT J @ A1
02/11/98 07:38:00 PM
Record Type:
Record
To:
Bruce N. Reed, Russell W. Horwitz, Charles R. Marr
cc:
Subject: HOUSE SAYS STAY-AT-HOME MOMS NEEDS CHILD CARE HELP, TOO
Date: 02/11/98 Time: 19:23
CHouse says stay-at-home moms needs child care help, too
WASHINGTON (AP) The House declared Wednesday that any child
care initiative must not ignore stay-at-home parents, writing the
GOP strategy on this election-year issue onto the record.
Democrats went along with the nonbinding resolution, which
passed without dissent, though they complained that it said nothing
about working parents who cannot afford to forgo a second income.
President Clinton's $21.7 billion, five-year child care
initiative proposes tax credits and subsidies to help parents pay
child care bills, but it does nothing for stay-at-home parents.
Federal child care policy should no longer discriminate
against stay-at-home parents," said Rep. William Goodling, R-Pa.,
chairman of the Education and the Workforce Committee. They make
big sacrifices if they stay at home in order to rear their
children. It's time we recognize those sacrifices."
Democrats complained that the resolution was sped to the House
floor, skipping a vote in committee where they might have amended
it to include other child care priorities. They accused Republicans
of setting up a false choice between parents who stay at home and
those who work.
I regret that this resolution has chosen to focus on one group
of parents," said Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn.
The resolution did not advocate any particular policy. Some
Republicans have suggested that stay-at-home parents might qualify
for the dependent-care tax credit, which now is available only to
parents who pay for child care. Other Republicans have suggested an
across-the-board tax cut that would give all families more money to
spend as they see fit.
Generally, plans to help stay-at-home moms rely on tax breaks.
That won't help the lower-income families, who generally owe no
taxes, says Donna Shalala, the secretary of health and human
services.
APNP-02-11-98 1934EST
01/13/98 13:35 FAX
NATL ECONOMIC COUNCIL
002
JAN. (MON) 14:21
P 002
Copyright 1998 Federal Information Systems Corporation
Federal News Service
JANUARY 10. 1998. SATURDAY
SECTION: MAJOR LEADER SPECIAL TRANSCRIPT
LENCTIL 1327 words
HEADLINE: GOP RESPONSE TO PRESIDENT CLINTON'S WEEKLY RADIO
ADDRESS BY: SENATOR LARRY CRAIG (R-ID)
BODY:
SEN. CRAIG: Good morning, I'm Senator Larry Craig of Idaho. As chairman of the Serate's
Republican Policy Committee, I am working with other senators to develop new ideas to help
American families overcome the pressures and challenges of raising their children. The incer of
the needs of parents hecame more clear to me recently when my daughter and son-in-law
presented me and my wife with a beautiful baby granddaughter. I talked with them about thei
concerns over day care. They both have careers. and they struggled with making the decision in
what was best for their child and what were the costs involved. One of the things I realized &
they wrestled with these questions was the need for choice. They needed options to met 1 the
particular needs of their new family. Every family is unique; their needs are different tha 1 the
neighbors next door or the family next to them. But everyone shares the common link: they
need choice so they cen find the best, healthiest and safust environment for their children. I.. nt
nothing less for my granddaughter. What every family does not need is the government tellir.
them what is best or giving them 4 size-fits-all solution. Congressional Republicans belief =
the best way to help American families care for their children is to provide as many optic ns a.
possible and leave more money in their pockets, not launder it through countless federal prog. urs
that shrink every dollar they earn.
Earlier this week President Clinton unveiled his child care proposal. Like most men: Drs
of Congress, I was hoping that it would he an innovative, new approach to a very complicate
problem. Well, I was very disappointed that President Clinton's plan would COST you, the
taxpayer, more than $20 billion over the next five years. Now, that's new money on top of th
$14 billion the federal government is already spending in the area of child care. We nood a
fresh start and new ideas to deal with the problems facing American families today.
These are the principles we work from after listening to you, the American peop e. 7 e
first principle: Parents want choices. They don't want the federal government telling thein wh
they need: they already know what's best for them and their children.
Second principle. The government should not discriminate against parents who riects to
stay home and take care of their kids. Any benefit given to parents who work outside the be :
should be given to those who work in the home. The president had a lot to say about IT othe
who work outside the home. Well, let's get it straight, Mr. President. all moms work; no on
should be left out.
01/13/98 13:38 FAX
NATL ECONOMIC COUNCIL
003
JAN. -12' 98 (MON) 14.21
003
We should work to ensure your family has safe and reliable options to raise child ren. or
instance, we think older Americans can play an important role in providing care for children. is
our population ages and the so-called baby boomers retire. we should provide an incenti /e k.
them to become child care workers, by allowing them to keep more of their money and keep
tax-free. Another idea to help families keep more of what they earn so they can make a choice of
returning to work or staying at home is called "income splitting." Income splitting would allc: a
spouse to claim half of his or her spouse's income as their own. Each income would then be I xed
separately. This would give 4 value to the spouse's work at home, and lower the tax burden
that family, of that couple.
Another idea is to continue along the path of granting, as we did last year, increased
personal exemptions for families with children. Again, it is a solution which will give familie:
more of their money to spend as they wish without Washington making those choices for the
Still another idea is to give working families greater flexibility in their own work schedu les. his
could be accomplished by a proposal that is currently before the Congress It would allow P ents
to choose to take either compensatory time or work more flexible hours so they can spend no to
time with their children.
All of these ideas. new ideas, new approaches, we in the Congress will put forward in he
weeks ahead. We need to give parents like my daughter and son-in-law more options and TF:
choices SO they can choose what is best for their family, without another government pr ogra: run
by Washington bureaucrats. America's families want no part of old, tried programs from
Washington. We have already shown that by working together and keeping those costs down we
can accomplish big things in Washington. Just last year we completed a sweeping revis on C: the
adoption and foster care policy of this country. This measure, which was signed into law, u.
---
benefit hundreds of thousands of children, including disabled kids. Let's continue to build on he
succoss of that effort, and that effort Takes care of children.
Can we make it easier for small businesses to provide day care for their employees? an
we take a closer look at the needs of the working poor. those who may need special att entic:
from government? Can we help state governments end their enforcement of child supp in? heso
are all good ideas that deserve the attention of Congress on behalf of the American peo de. est
assured this Congress is committed to helping families care for their children. I am hopeful : at
President Clinton will join us in our effort. After all, parents don't want the federal govern ant
telling them what they need or how to spend their moncy. They already know what's best ti
them and their children, I am Senator Larry Craig. Thanks for listening.
END
Shouldn't We Help Parents Be Parents?
About 77 percent of preschoolers
wage companies offering good bene-
child care. That type of subsidy is
By David Blankenhorn
are cared for by mothers, fathers or
fits. Expanding the dependent care
what economists call a market distor-
other family members, according to
tax credit would also be primarily a
tion, causing some people to act differ-
uided by an admirable
Census Bureau data. Day care cen-
subsidy for the affluent, since two-
ently than they otherwise would. It is
desire to address the
ters serve only about 15 percent of
earner couples with children, who are
also what most people who study child
nation's child care
preschoolers; the rest are cared for
the credit's main beneficiaries, are
development would call a crazy idea.
problem, President
by baby sitters or other nonrelatives,
significantly wealthier than one-earn-
Everything we know about children
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 19, 1997
The New York Times
G
Clinton is preparing
most of whom are unlicensed.
er couples with children.
tells us that we should encourage par-
to announce two pro-
The small but growing child care
A Government-endorsed day care
ents tò spend more time with their
posals that are socially irresponsible
industry, like any industry large or
strategy for employees might also
children, not less. Could there possibly
and morally wrong. He wants to cre-
small, wants to expand its customer
crowd out other, more popular op-
be a worse policy than taxing every-
ate new tax breaks for corporations
base. Toward that end, its lobbyists,
one, including millions of struggling
that provide day care for children of
especially those in its nomprofit sec-
home parents, to help relatively af-
employees, and he wants to expand
tor, make frequent statements about
flment families put their children in
the tax credit for employed parents
their high-minded goals. (Much of
The President's
day care?
PRESERVATION
PHOTOCOPY
who use paid child care.
this rhetoric was on display and en-
Instead of increasing a tax credit
dorsed at the recent White House
Both of these proposals are flawed
child care proposal
that benefits only parents who use
for the same reason: this Democrat-
conference on child care.) Also like
paid child care, why not extend the
lobbyists from other businesses, the
child care lobby often seeks special
is misguided.
credit to all parents of preschool chil-
ic President is making the classic
dren? Similarly, instead of giving tax
Republican mistake of believing that
benefits and protections from govern-
breaks to corporations that sponsor
we can solve a social problem by
ment, including direct financial subsi-
day care, why not give the money
subsidizing private business. As a
dies and pro-industry regulations.
directly to parents - for instance, by
result, instead of focusing on all chil-
The President's main child care ini-
tions. Many parents avoid full-time
grring them a one-time tax benefit by
dren, these policies focus on a minor-
tiatives go a long way toward embrac-
day care because they believe it is not
increasing the existing child credit for
ity of children whose parents are
ing the industry's point of view. But, as
good for their children. For these par-
the year in which a child is born or
relatively affluent. And, because the
we ought to have learned by now,
ents, flexible work hours, home-based
adopted? Some parents could use this
heart of the President's plan consists
simply meeting the demands of a spe-
work or part-time employment would
"baby bonus" for day care, and others
of special subsidies for commercial
cial interest group is almost never an
be much more desirable than day
could use it to allow them to stay home
child care, it would, in effect, punish
effective way to confromt a social
care. Why should the Government
with the new baby longer.
parents who want to spend more
problem. For starters, a tax break for
subsidize one benefit for working par-
The Administration won't formally
time with their children.
corporate day care would essentially
ents but not others?
release its proposals until the State of
be a subsidy for the affluent, since it
More important, the President's
the Union Message in late January.
David Blankenhorn is president of
would primarily benefit employees
proposals would create a subsidy only
It's not too late for the President to do
the Institute for American Values.
(and stockholders) of large, high-
for those parents who use commercial
the right thing.
PHOTOCOPY
PRESERVATION
Separate the Sexes
Fabulous Fibbers
To the Editor:
Your Dec. 18 editorial on separa-
To the Editor:
tion of the sexes in the military for
Russell Baker, in his pantheon of
the purpose of basic training asserts
fibbers (column, Dec. 16), somehow
that integration works well at the
overlooks the most fabulous fibber of
service academies.
all, Ronald Reagan. Though he spent
But as a former student at one of
most of World War II in Culver City,
the academies, I know that these
Calif., Reagan claimed that as a sol-
schools have their intergender prob-
dier he had seen the concentration
lems.
camps of Europe. He never did.
Harassment is an accepted reality,
By the way, Lou Gehrig may have
endorsed Camel cigarettes, but it
are ignored and abused regularly.
was his policy not to smoke when
he was around children, which may
The New York
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 19, 1997
and sexual fraternization policies
Perhaps separating the sexes during
make amends for his 1937 ad, men-
basic training, as suggested by Nan-
tioned by Mr. Baker. He also hap-
cy Kassebaum Baker, the head of the
pened to be primarily a pipe smoker,
Pentagon's advisory committee, is
not so outlandish.
THOMAS PITTA
which, I guess, means he was more
of a fibber than Mr. Baker sug-
New York, Dec. 18, 1997
gests.
RAY ROBINSON
Worth the Struggle
New York, Dec. 16, 1997
Pollution's Slippery Slope
To the Editor:
The writer is the author of a biogra-
phy of Lou Gehrig.
Re "For the Infertile, a High-Tech
To the Editor:
Treadmill (front page, Dec. 14) As
Figure-Enhancing Stuff
Michael J. Sandel ("It's Immoral
one of the couples featured, we wish
to Buy the Right to Pollute," Op-Ed,
to make two points.
To the Editor:
Dec. 15) raises the perennial means
First, technology has not yet solved
I have read and enjoyed Russell
and ends debate. The right to pollute
the problems that women over 40 ex-
Baker for 30 years. So it is with the
may be compared to the right to
perience in achieving pregnancy.
greatest reluctance that I quote from
gamble. Lotto and Off-Track Betting
There are often chromosomal anoma-
his Dec. 16 column, "Not So Bad a
were permitted because the ends
lies in older eggs that make pregnan-
Lie": "Silicon enhancement of the
(money for public education) sup-
cy unlikely. Therefore, donor egg may
female figure is a lie in which many
posedly justified the means (depriv-
be an option for older women who wish
take lewd delight." The enhance-
ing those who can least afford it of
to achieve a pregnancy.
ment arises from the implanting of
their money by removing a moral
Second, even though we still grieve
silicone fluids, not from silicon. Sili-
stigma).
that Nancy was never able to carry a
con is the element used to manufac-
Once we accepted the premise that
child, and though we are not ready to
ture memory and processors in com-
the ends did indeed justify the
say we will never attempt a donor-
puters.
means, society found itself on the
egg pregnancy, we can say with cer-
Given Mr. Baker's skepticism
slippery slope to more gambling,
tainty that we would want no child
about computers, he may prefer that
more dependency on the money and
other than our adopted child, Sophie.
silicon be used to enhance the fe-
more advertising to lure more hap-
If failure at infertility treatment was
male figure. But it just won't
less souls. In the process, as Mr.
what led us to her, it was worth the
work.
ROBERT P. DESIENO
Sandel argues, we have become a
struggle.
NANCY B. ALISBERG
Saratoga Springs, N.Y., Dec. 16, 1997
bargain-basement society with no
MICHAEL G. ALBANO
shared responsibility.
Brooklyn, Dec. 14, 1997
Trading emissions "credits" will
NATO Moves East
distort the public dialogue and only
Alternative Therapy
lead to less awareness and more
pollution.
MICHAEL SPATARO
To the Editor:
To the Editor:
Brooklyn, Dec. 17, 1997
Your Dec. 14 front-page article on
"Albright, at NATO Meeting, Tells
infertility patients mentions the sus-
of Peril From 'Eurasia' (news arti-
pected link between lack of success
cle, Dec. 17) clearly illustrates the
NYT
in conceiving and depression. During
much-debated purpose for NATO's
40 months of trying to conceive, I
eastward expansion. Following the
became severely depressed. Just be-
West's success in the demise of the
The New York Times
fore a psychopharmacologist pre-
Soviet Union, Eurasia's natural re-
Company
scribed Zoloft for my depression, she
sources are now being rediscovered
suggested that I seek help from an
by the rest of the industrialized
229 West 43d St., N.Y. 10036-3959
acupuncturist, reasoning that the
world.
acupuncture points for depression
With a potentially uncertain and
ARTHUR OCHS SULZBERGER JR., Chairman
were the same as for infertility. This
unstable Middle East in the years to
RUSSELL LEWIS. President
Chief Executive Officer
simple observation turned out to be
come and probable Russian fragmen-
an important, never-mentioned fact.
tation, there is a need for monitoring,
MICHAEL GOLDEN, Vice Chairman
Senior Vice President
Within three months of completing
containing and countering threats to
DIANE P. BAKER, Senior Vice President
treatment, I became pregnant. In no
foster businesses in these mineral-,
Chief Financial Officer
way do I believe that acupuncture is
oil- and natural gas-rich regions.
KATHARINE P. DARROW, Senior Vice President
a magic pill. However, I do feel that
The United Nations is turning out to
LEONARD P. FORMAN, Senior Vice President
the treatment contributed to some
be unwieldy with its global scope and
JOHN M. O'BRIEN, Senior Vice President
change within my body that allowed
focus, but a regional NATO is a viable
SOLOMON B. WATSON IV, Senior Vice President
me to become pregnant and altered
substitute, hence NATO survives and
LAURA J. CORWIN, Vice President, Secretary
my
brain chemistry positive-
expands.
SUMIRAN V. NERIYA
ELLEN TAUS, Treasurer
ly.
KAREL LITTMAN-WEINSHANK
Southfield, Mich. Dec. 18, 1997
Teaneck, N.J., Dec. 17, 1997
Question & Answer on Michael Kelly Editorial
Q.
Yesterday, Michael Kelly wrote a strong editorial attacking the President's child
care initiative because it does not help parents to stay at home with their children,
even though parents are the best caregivers for their children. Do you agree with
him?
A.
The President and I believe that we should respect and support parents in whatever
choices they make, whether to work or to stay at home. The President has throughout his
presidency supported that choice through a variety of measures to increase family
income, such as expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit, increasing the minimum wage,
and passing the $500 per-child tax credit. Also, through the Family and Medical Leave
Act, which was the first piece of legislation that the President signed into law, parents are
able to take time off to care for their newborn without worrying about losing their job.
The Administration has looked into ways through the tax code to promote choice further
and enable more parents to stay at home with their children for some period of time. So
far, we have found those options to be prohibitively expensive in the context of a
balanced budget. In fact, the "income splitting" option that several Republicans have
suggested -- which would lessen the tax burden on married couples in which one parent
stays at home by allowing the couple to divide the income of the single breadwinner --
has been estimated by the Congressional Budget Office to cost about $25 billion each
year. nearly six times the cost of the President's entire child care package. We do,
however, believe that these are important issues to consider, and are looking forward to
working with the Congress in the coming year.
The President's child care initiative responds to the very real fact that more than ever. by
choice or by necessity, parents are relying on child care to take care of their children for
part of each day. And we must do what we can to enable parents who make this choice to
find and afford high quality care for their children.
PHOTOCOPY
PRESERVATION
Michael Kelly
The
Child-Care
Experiment
In the background paper that the
White House provided for its child-
care proposals last week, there was
one page describing, in hard num-
bers, the way Americans care for
their children. It was a depressing
document.
In 1995, nearly 13 million-more
than half-of the nation's 21 million
preschool children were receiving
child care from someone other than
their parents. Of children under the
age of 1, 45 percent were under such
care. And these infants and toddlers
and preschoolers are, on the aver-
age, in child care for a large chunk of
BY JOHN OVERMYER
their little lives: a 1990 study found
that more than half of child-care
nomic incentive for parents to
children were in child care for 35
In 22 percent of families where both
choose work over child-rearing?
hours a week or more. Of school-age
It doesn't, says Bruce Reed, the
kids, every week an estimated 5
million come home to empty houses.
parents work, the parents still care for
president's domestic policy adviser.
But extending tax credits to all fami-
We are engaged in a vast and
their children themselves.
lies with children would be awfully
radical experiment on our children.
expensive, Reed worries. He's right.
We are betting, against the wisdom
But if the administration is serious
of the ages and the lessons of our
truth, and they refuse to trust the
Clinton administration last week fails
about the best interests of the chil-
own childhoods, that it does not
really matter if parents leave to oth-
raising of their children to the kind-
this. The main proposal, to increase
dren, it will correct the anti-home-
ers the quotidian business of raising
ness and competence of strangers. In
funding for child-care block grants to
care bias in its policy.
their young. The increasing evidence
22 percent of families where both
the states for more subsidized child
One possibility would be to en-
is that this is wrong. While it may
parents work, the parents still care
care for poor children, is a good and
large the $500-per-child tax credit
for their children themselves. When
sometimes be necessary for both
necessary idea. And it is not a bad
signed into last year's budget law.
parents to work full time, it is undeni-
they turn to others, 25 percent use
thing to provide more after-school
Another would be to give a parent
relatives, 17 percent use babysitters
ably better for children that they be
programs for kids, or to give busi-
who stays at home a tax rebate for at
or nannies who mind the children in
raised in their own homes, mostly by
nesses tax credits for child-care pro-
least the early years of a child's life, in
the sitters' own homes, and 5 percent
their own parents.
grams, or to enforce higher stan-
partial reimbursement for the in-
use sitters or nannies in their own
As the White House's data sheet
dards for health and safety in
come sacrificed by the parent's lost
homes. Only 30 percent choose
noted. children in child-care, pro-
child-care centers.
job. Another is "income splitting," in
child-care centers.
grams are not, in a great many cases,
So, what would an intelligent child-
But the policy as a whole is irratio-
which a, one-income family may, for
well cared for. One four-year study of
care policy look like? It would seek to
nally biased toward the form of child
tax purposes, divide the income be-
child-care centers rated only one out
strongly discourage out-of-wedlock
care most parents like least-institu-
tween husband and wife, both thus
of seven as of good quality. This
births. It would seek to strongly
tionalized group care-and against
bumping down to lower tax brackets.
absence of quality reaches cata-
reinforce the idea that it primarily
what most parents want most: to be
Reed says the White House is "com-
strophic levels in the care of poor
takes not a village but parents-two
able to afford to have one parent stay
pletely open to ideas on how best to
children. In the bland bureaucratese
of them-to raise a child. It would
home. This bias is most obvious in
help families where one parent de-
of one report: "Many children living
offer help for parents who must
the proposal to offer tax credits of up
cides to stay home with the chil-
in poverty receive child care that, at
work, but it would send an unmistak-
to 50 percent of child-care expenses
dren." He should be taken at his
best, does not support their optimal
able message that, whenever possi-
to low- and middle-income two-work-
word and tested.
development and, at worst, may com-
ble, it is better that one parent stays
er families-but nothing to families
promise their health and safety."
home with the kids.
who keep a parent at home. Why
Michael Kelly is a senior writer for
Most parents know the obvious
The policy put forward by the
does the administration seek an eco-
National Journal.
The Washington Post
WEDNESDAY, ARY 14, 1998/
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Abiding Repression in Vietnam
Despite reports to the contrary, Viet-
cooperation with a U.S. program to
tion argued that "constructive engage-
nam still does not have free emigration
resettle repatriated Vietnamese boat
ment" would help promote political
and does not deserve a waiver to the
people to justify a waiver of the free
PHOTOCOPY
liberalization in that country. Since
Jackson-Vanik amendment. The Post's
emigration requirement under the
then more dissidents and religious
PRESERVATION
Jackson-Vanik amendment. The White
Dec. 19 news story "U.S. May Waive
leaders have been imprisoned. Free-
House must have been either seriously
Anti-Communism Law to Lessen Trade
dom of the press has been much more
misinformed or seriously misquoted
Restrictions on Vietnam" reported
severely curtailed than before. And
by The Post
this trend continues.
that according to the White House,
With its eyes on most-favored-nation
Last month the Ministry of Interior
Vietnam has recently shown sufficient
status, Vietnam indeed no longer re-
established a new center to further
quires exit permits as a precondition
tighten its grip on the press. Less than
for repatriated boat people to gain
two months ago, the chief editor of a
access to U.S. interviewers. However,
The Clergy:
this rather minor technical modifica-
trade journal was arrested on charges
tion can hardly qualify as a major
of divulging state secrets when in fact
There Till the End
improvement. Even for this limited
he only exposed corruption. Earlier in
group of repatriated boat people, Viet-
1997, the government promulgated Ex-
The Gallup poll numbers showing
nam does not really drop its require-
ecutive Decree 31/CP, authorizing the
that "only 36 percent of respondents
expected that a member of the clergy
ment on exit permission; it only delays
administrative detention of all political
would offer real comfort to them in
this requirement to a later stage-suc-
suspects for up to two years without
their dying days" is not as, Richard
cessful applicants still need exit per-
trial.
Morin suggests, "a stunning indict-
mission to emigrate.
The United States should not reward
ment of the clergy" [Unconventional
For all other Vietnamese citizens-
Vietnam with trade privileges until the
Wisdom. Outlook, Dec. 15]. It might
including many former political prison-
Vietnamese government makes signifi-
be so if 100 percent of the respondents
ers, political dissidents and religious
cant concessions on human rights by
were members of a house of worship
leaders-exit permission remains a
truly honoring the right of its citizens
and attended services there. My guess
precondition for access to foreign dele-
to freely emigrate and by releasing all
is that the 36 percent is made up of the
gations. The White House, if not mis-
political and religious dissidents from
same people who regularly worship
quoted by The Post, is once again
its system of prisons and labor camps.
and thus have a relationship with their
sending the wrong signal to Commu-
NGUYEN DINH THANG
priest, rabbi or pastor. The other 64
nist Vietnam.
Executive Director
percent don't know us and so don't
In establishing diplomatic relations
Boat People S.O.S.
expect us to be at their bedsides as
with Vietnam in 1995, the administra-
Fairfax
they die.
Most of us clergy willingly go to
people who are dying, even if we don't
Plugging Up the Pike
know them. We take turns in local
hospitals being with families who have
Having lived in Garrett Park-within
cles, for a total of 80,385. On Nov. 30, 1996,
no regular church.
walking distance of Rockville Pike-for
the number had soared to 605,950 for
These figures. far from indicting the
almost 40 years, I have great familiarity
vehicles of all categories. That's an in-
clergy. may be a more realistic descrip-
with the enormous increase in the num-
crease of almost 800 percent in 43 years.
tion of those who are serious about
ber of motor vehicles there over that
If that increase continues at the same
their faith than the overwhelming
time ["Is Rockville Pike at Its Peak?"
rate, in 2040-43 years down the pike,
number who say they believe there is a
front page, Dec. 26]. Some statistics
SO to speak-the number of vehicles
God. I. for one, encourage those who
from the Maryland Motor Vehicle Ad-
registered in Montgomery County will
think they are missing out on the care
ministration indicate how we got into
be 4,847,600. The staff of the county
from clergy to begin worshipping regu-
the colossal traffic jam on the pike, but
Motor Vehicle Registration office will
larly.
not, I'm afraid, how to get out of it.
have to be increased, maybe even by 800
THE REV. THOMAS VAN BRUNT
On April 30, 1953, 71,870 pleasure
percent. We certainly hope not.
Rector
St. Peter's Episcopal Church
vehicles were registered in Montgomery
PAUL EDLUND
Delaware, Ohio
County as well as 8,515 commercial vehi-
Garrett Park
A Skeptical Reader
Missing Citation
I note some important inconsisten-
Worst, does she really think that we
How-in his Dec. 28 op-ed
cies in Lucy Murray's comments on
will believe that "I also expect employ-
column, "The Brooks Brothers
the behavior of the D.C. Water and
ees to know right from wrong. I expect
Appeal"-did George Will omit
Sewer Authority's (WASA) employees,
["Cleaning Up the Water Authority,"
them to say no to illegal and unethical
the most famous literary men-
tion of Brooks Brothers of all
letters, Jan. 5].
behavior and to report all wrongdoing,
First, Ms. Murray, who is on WASA's
no matter how uncomfortable it may
time? refer to Mary McCar-
board of directors, says the employees'
make them."
thy's story, "The Man in the
Brooks Brothers Shirt' Since
wrongful behavior "will not be tolerat-
These employees are "double dip-
the story first appeared in the
ed." May I point out that it already has
ping" off the taxpayers. And now Ms.
been and continues to be tolerated, so
tisan Review in 1941, it's
Murray expects them to turn them-
much so that The Post can report on it?
been reprinted in 1942, 1946,
Second, she says that we can "expect
selves or colleagues in? Get real. She
1960 and 1975, if not more often.
more such horror stories" of defraud-
gives me zero confidence in any future
CHARLES OLSEN
ing D.C. taxpayers. Does she know
action by this WASA board.
Washington
more than she's telling but won't let us
ELAINE RAND
in on it?
Washington
The Washington Post
WEDNESDAY, 14, 1998/
Judge Mason's Hands Were Tied
The Washington Post
Steve Twomey's personal attack on
the legal burden that needs to be
EUGENE MEYER, 1875-1959
Montgomery County Circuit Court
established in order to take away a
PHILIP L. GRAHAM. 1915-1963
Judge Michael D. Mason was lacking
child from its biological mother? Why
DONALD GRAHAM
in facts regarding the legal process for
doesn't he place the blame where it
Publisher
LEONARD DOWNIE
MEG GREENFIELD
dealing with adoption ("Wouldn't Bet
belongs: on misplaced social policies
Executive Editor
Editorial Page Editor
His Life on It," Metro, Jan. 1).
promulgated as a result of weak socio-
ROBERT KAISER
STEPHENS ROSENFELI
Managing Editor
Deputy Page Editor
Why didn't Mr. Twomey mention
logical studies rather than simply at-
MILTON COLEMAN
tack Judge Mason as a "gambler"?
Deputy Managing Editor
We are a country of laws, for better
BOISFEUT JONES JR.
President and General Manager
Letters must be exclusive to The
or worse. There is not a scintilla of
VICE PRESIDENTS
Post, must be signed and must
evidence that Judge Mason made a
BENJAMING BRADLEE
At Large
MICHAEL CLURMAN
Production
include the writer's home address
decision that in any way is inconsistent
PATRICIA DUNN
Labor
and day and evening telephone
STEPHEN HILLS
Advertising
with the laws of this country.
ELIZABETH .LOKER
Systems and Engineering
numbers. Because of space limita-
THEODORE LUTZ
tions, published letters are subject
For Steve Twomey to attack Judge
Business Manager
CAROL D. AMED
Government Affairs
Mason does a real disservice to Judge
VINCENT E. REED
Communications
to abridgment. Although we are
GERALD M. ROSBERG
Affiliates
unable to acknowledge letters we
Mason. More important, The Post's
MARGARET SCOTTSCHIFF
Controller/Pers/Admin.
WILLIAMG TOMPKINS JR.
Marketing
cannot publish, we value the views
readers probably believe that this aw-
MARY ANN WERNER
Counsel
of those who send us their com-
ful result came about because the
Published by The Washington Post Company
ments. Letters should be addressed
judge didn't do his job, rather than
KATHARINE GRAHAM
to Letters to the Editor and may be
Chairman of the Executive Committee
because we live in a country that hands
DONALD E. GRAHAM
hand-delivered, submitted via U.S.
a judge some bad choices.
Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer
mail or via The Post's web site,
ALAN G. SPOON
http://www.washingtonpost.com
DAVE SISLEN
President and Chief Operating Officer
Rockville
1150 St. NW Washington, D.C. 20071 (202) 334-6000
THE PRESIDENT HAS SEEN
Blue Gams our counter with
12-31-97
copied
Reed
Sperling
Verveer
HRC
Bowles
Len
kleen
too
12-31-97
Shouldn't We Help Parents Be Parents?
About 77 percent of preschoolers
wage companies offering good bene-
child care. That type of subsidy is
By David Blankenhorn
are cared for by mothers, fathers or
fits. Expanding the dependent care
what economists call a market distor-
other family members, according to
tax credit would also be primarily a
ton, causing some people to act differ-
uided by an admirable
Census Bureau data. Day care cen-
subsidy for the affluent, since two-
ently than they otherwise would. It is
desire to address the
ters serve only about 15 percent of
earner couples with children, who are
also what most people who study child
nation's child care
preschoolers; the rest are cared for
the credit's main beneficiaries, are
development would call a crazy idea.
problem, President
by baby sitters or other nonrelatives,
significantly wealthier than one-earn-
Everything we know about children
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 19, -1997
The New York Times
G
Clinton is preparing
most of whom are unlicensed.
er couples with children.
tells us that we should encourage par-
to announce two pro-
The small but growing child care
A Government-endorsed day care
ents to spend more time with their
posals that are socially irresponsible
industry, like any industry large or
strategy for employees might also
children, not less. Could there possibly
and morally wrong. He wants to cre-
small, wants to expand its customer
crowd out other, more popular op-
be a worse policy than taxing every-
ate new tax breaks for corporations
base. Toward that end, its lobbyists,
one, including millions of struggling
that provide day care for children of
especially those in its nomprofit sec-
at-home parents, to help relatively af-
employees, and he wants to expand
tor, make frequent statements about
flment families put their children in
the tax credit for employed parents
their high-minded goals. (Much of
The President's
day care?
who use paid child care.
this rhetoric was on display and en-
Instead of increasing a tax credit
dorsed at the recent White House
Both of these proposals are flawed
child care proposal
that benefits only parents who use
for the same reason: this Democrat-
conference on child care) Also like
paid child care, why not extend the
ic President is making the classic
lobbyists from other businesses, the
child care lobby often seeks special
is misguided.
credit to all parents of preschool chil-
Republican mistake of believing that
dren? Similarly, instead of giving tax
we can solve a social problem by
benefits and protections from govern-
breaks to corporations that sponsor
ment, including direct financial subsi-
day care, why not give the money
subsidizing private business. As a
dies and pro-industry regulations.
directly to parents - for instance, by
result, instead of focusing on all chil-
The President's main child care ini-
tions. Many parents avoid full-time
gring them a one-time tax benefit by
dren, these policies focus on a minor-
tiatives go a long way toward embrac-
day care because they believe it is not
increasing the existing child credit for
ity of children whose parents are
ing the industry's point of view. But, as
good for their children. For these par-
the year in which a child is born or
relatively affluent. And, because the
we ought to have learned by now,
ents, flexible work hours, home-based
adopted? Some parents could use this
heart of the President's plan consists
simply meeting the demands of a spe-
work or part-time employment would
"baby bonus" for day care, and others
of special subsidies for commercial
cial interest group is almost never an
be much more desirable than day
could use it to allow them to stay home
child care, it would, in effect, punish
effective way to confront a social
care. Why should the Government
with the new baby longer.
parents who want to spend more
problem. For starters, a tax break for
subsidize one benefit for working par-
The Administration won't formally
time with their children.
corporate day care would essentially
ents but not others?
release its proposals until the State of
be a subsidy for the affluent, since it
More important, the President's
the Union Message in late January.
David Blankenhorn is president of
would primarily benefit employees
proposals would create a subsidy only
It's not too late for the President to do
the Institute for American Values.
(and stockholders) of large, high-
for those parents who use commercial
the right thing.